The goodness of fit and statistical significance of seriation solutions

This paper presents a method for determining the statistical significance and goodness of fit of seriation solutions based on correspondence analysis. The basic assumption is that seriation solutions corresponding to relative chronological sequences should have unimodal distributions of types across assemblages in a sequence. In order to evaluate significance of chronological signal in data, the observed number of modes of a seriation solution based on correspondence analysis is compared to a distribution of number of modes generated by randomization of the original data table. A quantitative measure of the goodness of fit is presented. The method is tested on two data sets: 1) archaeological data with a known chronological ordering 2) non-archaeological data without a chronological patterning. The method successfully detected a significant chronological signal in the former, and failed to detect it in the latter.     

Refining correspondence analysis-based ceramic seriation of regional data sets

Ceramic seriation is one of the primary tools used by archaeologists to create chronologies, especially for surface survey data. In this article, we outline a bootstrapped approach to correspondence analysis-based seriation designed to help assess and improve the stability of relative orderings produced through such analyses. This procedure systematically identifies and removes small samples and sites with unusual samples, such as those with multiple components, which are not handled well by seriation and require secondary interpretation. Our approach combines data from multiple projects in the Zuni region of the American Southwest in order to gauge the effects of intraregional variation in ceramic distributions and reexamine prior interpretations of demographic change based on individual projects. This analysis highlights two previously unknown regional trends, including variation in the distribution of multicomponent sites and potential short-term depopulation of a significant part of the region. Based on this example, we further suggest that our method may be particularly useful in situations where little prior chronological information is available.     

An efficient interchange procedure for the archaeological seriation problem

This paper considers the archaeological seriation problem defined over incidence matrices. Two procedures adapted from interchange algorithms for the travelling salesman problem are described and tested on 31 problems extracted from the literature. The better of these two procedures consistently yields excellent solutions and appears to outperform previous algorithms.     

A comparison of two norms in archaeological seriation

Two norms frequently used in archaeological seriation are compared. Although these norms are equivalent in some particular cases, this is not true in general both from a computational point of view and in the archaeological sense.     

Reassessing the chronology of the Mississippian Central Illinois River Valley using Bayesian analysis

Chronology building has long served as a major focus of archaeological interest in the Central Illinois River valley (CIRV) of west-central Illinois. Previous methods have relied primarily upon relative dating techniques (e.g., ceramic seriation) as a means of sorting out temporal relationships between sites. This study represents the first investigation into the utility of Bayesian techniques (which consider radiocarbon dates in context with archaeological information) in the CIRV. We present the results of a detailed ceramic seriation of the region, data that we use as a priori information in our Bayesian models. We then offer contiguous, overlapping, and sequential models of site occupations in the Mississippian CIRV, review the output and appropriateness of each model, and consider their implications for the pace of sociopolitical change in the region.     

Attribute-Based Seriation of Postclassic and Early Colonial Sherd Collections from the Basin of Mexico

Abstract

Seriation of ceramic collections based on diachronic changes in formal and surface treatment attributes offers advantages over type-based approaches when dealing with small collections. Individual attributes may be recordable where types (constellations of attributes) are not, increasing the quantity of chronological information that can be inferred. In addition, different classes of attributes (e.g., decorative, formal, surface treatment) highlight distinct processes and changes related to pottery production, consumption, and use, and provide a basis for finer-resolution seriation results. This paper outlines a procedure for attribute-based seriation analysis by detecting time-sensitive attributes and assigning sherd collections to temporal phases using clustering and ordination techniques, crosschecked with discriminant analysis. The results indicate a five-phase sequence for Middle-Late Postclassic and Early Colonial period collections from the Basin of Mexico (ca. A.D. 1200–1625).     

Model studies in computer seriation

A computer model is described which generates artificial incidence matrices, with statistical properties similar to those of a Merovingian cemetery, but with a known chronological order.These matrices are used to test the effectiveness of various seriation procedures. Both permutation search and multi-dimensional scaling methods are investigated. The effects of various similarity matrix transformations are also discussed.     

Duggleby Howe Revisited

Duggleby Howe alone exhibits the full range of burial practices that characterize the British Later Neolithic. It has therefore been central to their seriation. Yet a re-reading of Mortimer's text suggests that a prolonged sequence for the burials in the mound is unlikely. Since this includes cremations held to characterize the Final Neolithic, consideration must be given to the circumstances which might generate such a large mortuary population and lead to their quite different treatment.     

The Unitary Association Method of Relative Dating and Its Application to Archaeological Data

The primary objective of relative dating techniques is to determine a reliable sequence of archaeological deposits. This task becomes more difficult whenever our research steps beyond individual sites to the study of intercommunity relationships because we need to develop some means of associating unconnected deposits in time. Radiocarbon dating, as a stand-alone method, cannot always be used to draw reliable correlations between sites. The relevance of archaeological dates, including absolute dates, relies ultimately on the determination of artifact or sample associations and their respective superpositional relationships. The Unitary Association Method of Relative Dating is an alternative to seriation methods that is less susceptible to spatial variation and offers analytical strengths needed for regional chronological analyses.     

Beyond Oral History: A Nineteenth Century Blackfoot Warriors’ Biographic Robe in Comparative and Chronological Context

Biographic tradition artworks produced on the Great Plains by historic-period Native Americans constitute genuine documents of history, recording—in narrative form—real events that took place in people’s lives. In the early 2000s, a previously undocumented example of a painted robe in the biographic tradition became known (the “Malcolm robe”). Preliminary assessment indicated an origin on the northern Plains, possibly by artists of the Blackfoot Confederation. We first discuss comparative Biographic tradition evidence for the origin of the Malcolm robe, extending previous commentaries on the ethnocultural affiliation of this robe. Several diagnostic features of this robe confirm that its most likely ethnocultural origin was Blackfoot. We also list features that support a case that more than one artist was involved in its production. The central focus of our study here was to more reliably establish a date for the painting of this robe using a series of quantitative and statistical comparisons with better-dated examples of Blackfoot biographic robe art. We apply three different dating methods: frequency seriation, occurrence seriation, and a multivariate statistical method. All three methods consistently indicate that the robe dates prior to 1850, confidently supporting a date of at least that age. The analyses and comparison with other similar robes more tentatively indicate a possible date of production during the 1830s. Further historical research urgently awaits this robe. However, with a date of pre-1850 now reliably secured, the robe takes its place as an early nineteenth century example of Blackfoot biographic art, and as part of the historical legacy that this body of documentary art comprises.     

THE PLACE OF CHRONOLOGICAL STUDIES IN ARCHAEOLOGY A VIEW FROM THE OLD WORLD*

This article deals with the univeral problem of chronological versus social change and discusses the methodological foundations and the scientific functions of chronological studies, exemplified by the Nordic Bronze Age, a classic example of the development of a chronological system. First the universal validity of the premises of typology and seriation are questioned. Secondly, there is a discussion of the chronological implications of the many possible relationships between the period of production, the period of use and the period of deposition of artefacts. Thirdly the foundations of chronological change is analysed and finally the place of chronological studies in the research process is discussed.     

BAYESIAN MODELING OF THE OCCUPATION SPAN OF THE AVERBUCH SITE IN THE MIDDLE CUMBERLAND DRAINAGE,TENNESSEE

Abstract

The application of Bayesian models to suites of radiocarbon dates can provide important refinements over standard approaches toward calibration and seriation of dated feature contexts. We have modeled a number of older radiocarbon dates submitted in the 1980s along with a recent set of accelerator mass spectrometry dates from the Averbuch site (40DV60), a Mississippian village in the Middle Cumberland Region of Tennessee occupied in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries A.D. The results of these analyses demonstrate that even within its short lifespan of ca. 200 years, the village underwent fundamental organizational changes. These shifts appear to be responses to climatic deterioration and an upsurge in regional violence.     

Americanist Stratigraphic Excavation and the Measurement of Culture Change

Many versions of the history of Americanist archaeology suggest there was a stratigraphic revolution during the second decade of the twentieth century—the implication being that prior to about 1915 most archaeologists did not excavate stratigraphically. However, articles and reports published during the late nineteenth century and first decade of the twentieth century indicate clearly that many Americanists in fact did excavate stratigraphically. What they did not do was attempt to measure the passage of time and hence culture change. The real revolution in Americanist archaeology comprised an analytical shift from studying synchronic variation to tracking changes in frequencies of artifact types or styles—a shift pioneered by A. V. Kidder, A. L. Kroeber, Nels C. Nelson, and Leslie Spier. The temporal implications of the analytical techniques they developed—frequency seriation and percentage stratigraphy—were initially confirmed by stratigraphic excavation. Within a few decades, however, most archaeologists had begun using stratigraphic excavation as a creational strategy—that is, as a strategy aimed at recovering superposed sets of artifacts that were viewed as representing occupations and distinct cultures. The myth that there was a stratigraphic revolution was initiated in the writings of the innovators of frequency seriation and percentage stratigraphy.     

The evolution of anthropomorphism in the neolithic engraved plaques of Southwestern Iberian Peninsula: a systematic approach from phylogenetics

Engraved slate plaques are a common part of the grave goods found in the Late Neolithic-Copper Age I megaliths of the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula (~3500–2700 cal BC). These objects have received a great deal of attention, since they are the first symbolic figurines to have become widespread in the Iberian Peninsula (almost 4000 plaques are estimated to be known today). Most previous studies, even from different and opposing archaeological perspectives, have highlighted the anthropomorphic nature of these plaques. The hypotheses regarding the evolution of their anthropomorphism and possible function have been diverse, yet there is a noteworthy absence of taxonomical studies in which the diversity and stylistic sequence of these symbolic objects have been systematically approached. This paper puts forward several models for the evolution of the anthropomorphism of the engraved plaques, based on cladistics and occurrence seriation. The results are then analyzed in conjunction with the currently available chronological and stratigraphic information. The paper concludes with a proposal of the most probable typology and its sequence, leading to a better understanding of the diversity and evolution of the plaques. Beyond this particular phenomenon, this paper provides insights into the study of the evolution of the symbolic representation of the human figure, through the development of an innovative methodological protocol.     

A Bayesian AMS C chronology of the Classic Maya Center of Uxbenká, Belize

Archaeologists require precise chronologies of cultural change to understand the nature and timing, and causes and effects, of ecological and social transformations. The Uxbenká Archaeological Project (UAP) has made chronology building a main goal, employing epigraphic data, artifact seriation, and high-precision AMS ¹⁴C dating. With more than 60 ¹⁴C dates with measurement errors below ±25 ¹⁴C yr, primarily on single charcoal specimens, Uxbenká may be the most intensively dated Classic Period site in the tropical Maya Lowlands. Here we take the next step, combining this rich chronometric dataset with associated stratigraphic information in OxCal's Bayesian framework to generate a high-resolution chronology of Uxbenká's early development and expansion in southern Belize. We show how archaeologists may take advantage of complex architectural stratigraphy to constrain broad calibrated ranges during the Classic Period, and to estimate dates for observed construction events that can not be directly dated (e.g., clearing/leveling plazas, laying plaster floors, renovating/rebuilding structural elements). Our analysis confirms the antiquity of the ceremonial Stela Plaza (Group A), where first construction is estimated between 60 cal BC and cal AD 220 and is associated with a Pre-Classic structure obscured by later construction and reorientation of the group to a N-S alignment ca. AD 150–310. The analysis also indicates initial leveling and construction at plaza Group B from cal AD 60–310 and Group D from cal AD 20–240, both earlier than previously assumed. Though Late Classic contexts are not as well represented by direct dates, architectural modifications are documented at all three plaza groups after AD 550, including the extensive plastering, laying paving stones, and construction of facades on existing structures. The resulting chronology revises our previous thinking on the mode of settlement and development of Classic Maya society at Uxbenká and indicates specific areas of investigation to elucidate events in the Late and Terminal Classic at the site, including political and social fragmentation and the abandonment of the urban core late in the Classic Period.     

CORE ELEMENTS AND LAYOUT CLASSES IN SWIFT CREEK PADDLE ART

Our work here extends a study in which we identified a set of task models used by early Swift Creek artisans to produce paddle designs. Reconstructed procedures for early bandwork compositions highlighted the importance of the placement of guide points and guidelines to the final product as well as the hierarchal nature of the production sequence, leading to the realization that designs can be profitably classified by the geometry of these initial steps. In this paper, we examine two layout classes defined from observations across some of the more common core elements in the Swift Creek design corpus. We then seriate the most common of the core elements, the Omega, by virtue of variation in its visual characteristics. We draw on the stratigraphic sequence at Fairchild’s Landing (9SE14), Seminole County, Georgia, as a test of the core-element seriation and discuss developmental differences in the Omega between two prolific Swift Creek regions, the lower Chattahoochee River of southwestern Georgia and southeastern Alabama and the lower Ocmulgee and upper Satilla rivers of central and south-central Georgia, on the other.     

中国大城市边缘区的概念辨析及其划分

城市边缘区是城市化的前沿地区,是城乡作用力交织碰撞的地域空间,对它的概念描述及划分因城乡发展的背景各异以及研究角度的差异而不同。本文回顾了国内外城市边缘区概念的发展,比较了我国描述城市边缘地带的几个概念之间的差异及其使用范围,针对当前国情,提出了突出地域空间、土地、社会、经济方面特征的城市边缘区概念;结合常用的划分边缘区的几种方法,以武汉市为例,提出从城市规划角度划分边缘区的主要原则及其方法。     

GLASS TRADE BEADS FROM THE ENGLISH COLONIAL PERIOD IN THE SOUTHEAST,CA. A.D. 1607–1783

Abstract

The study of glass trade beads has contributed much to our chronological understanding of the colonial period in the Eastern Woodlands of North America. Indeed, this class of artifact has allowed archaeologists to identify and conduct research at important archaeological sites that never appeared in the European historical record. In the Southeast, the best chronological resolution established by current bead chronologies relates either to sixteenth- to mid-seventeenthcentury Spanish-traded bead assemblages or eighteenthcentury French-traded bead assemblages. There is a conspicuous gap, however, in glass bead chronologies associated with the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English-Indian trade in the Southeast. In this paper, I address this gap by characterizing a large sample of trade beads (n = 35,309) found in individual mortuary assemblages recovered from a number of Southeastern Indian sites. This is the first time a regional synthesis of this scale has been conducted for the English colonial period in the Southeast. In order to begin to refine the bead chronology of this period, I also present the results of a quantitative seriation (using a technique known as correspondence analysis) of the same mortuary assemblages. While the results of this exploratory technique represent a preliminary stage in this process, they nevertheless identify a number of temporal trends that can be used to derive occupation date estimates for sites spanning the English colonial period in the Southeast (ca. 1607–1783).     

现代城市管理新模式:城市网格化管理综述

随着现代城市的快速发展,传统的城市管理手段和方式远远不能满足现代城市管理的要求,将现代城市管理理论与"数字城市"技术相结合而形成了新的城市管理模式-城市网格化管理。该模式将城市管理过程分为信息收集、案卷建立、任务派遣、任务处理、处理反馈、核实结案等环节,它采用的网格管理法、城市部件管理法、两个轴心的管理体制等是对现代城市管理模式的极大创新。     

城市社区体系结构可获性评价的原理研究

从人本主义的角度出发,以提升城市生活空间质量为目的,运用城市生活空间质量观的理念分析了城市社区体系结构的公正性和客观可获性的内涵。构建了城市社区体系结构可获性评价的模式,即阶层化居舍剥夺指数评价模式和阶层化社会区剥夺指数模式。阐述了基于"城市资源的配置是均等的"这一假设,结合城市社区体系结构可获性评价要素,提出了城市社区体系结构可获性评价的操作模式,以期构建完整的城市社区体系结构,提升城市社会空间的阶层可获性。